A battle of three armies.

W/N: I left a map of Kuatan below for reference. Also, I redid the last poll on Google Forms. I didn't realise the previous one had a 21-voter limit. Please vote again(I added a small peek this time for reference ;b)

Kuatan burned as its people fought to see another day.

The great Shokan city, once protected by its walls and the natural defences of its volcanic structure, had become a battlefield. Smoke rolled through the enormous caverns, mixing with the orange glow of the lava rivers below. Explosions thundered against the stone from the artillery, shaking entire sections of the city, while the cries of warriors echoed through the streets. The banners of the loyalists had spread across the lower districts, replacing the familiar colours of the Shokan clans wherever Reiko's forces had managed to break through.

But thankfully, the civilians were no longer there. Kiraen, with the help of Syzoth and the Emperor's remaining guards, had successfully evacuated the people caught in the crossfire and brought them into the relative safety of Golvalin. Civilians had been hurried through the palace entrances while warriors formed defensive lines around them, ensuring that no loyalist soldier could slip through the chaos and reach them. The evacuation had been completed swiftly. Now, those who remained outside were the ones willing and able to fight.

The warriors of Kuatan had gathered around the inner defences as Reiko's forces hammered against them. The outer walls, once the first imposing barrier protecting the mighty Shokan city, had already fallen. Beyond the inner wall lay the marketplace and the common grounds, two strategic points that controlled access to the upper city.

If those fell, only the upper districts and Golvalin would remain. And if Reiko's forces reached the palace itself, the battle would be all but lost. There were simply not enough Shokan and Imperial soldiers left to regroup if the loyalists reached the upper city in a coordinated attack force. Reiko knew that. It was precisely the sort of pressure he had used throughout his campaign: destroy an enemy's ability to reorganise, deny them breathing room, and turn every retreat into another opportunity to strike. A brutal display of warfare.

The inner gate shook violently as the massive ram of the loyalist crashed against its reinforced doors. The impact reverberated throughout the cavern again and again. Each strike was answered by the splintering groan of wood and metal.

Behind the gate, Shokan warriors waited and prepared. Kintaro and Count Ilur had organised them into layered formations despite the lingering hostility between their factions. Shields and spears formed the first line. Infantry stood immediately behind them, weapons drawn and ready to exploit any breach. Ranged warriors occupied higher positions farther back, preparing volleys that could rain down upon the enemy the moment the gates gave way.

For all the resentment that had divided the clans only moments earlier, their battlefield discipline was beginning to resemble something they had not possessed since the conflict began. Unity. Sheeva approached the formations with Kitana and Skarlet following behind her as the pounding of the ram continued.

“The loyalists are at the door, Sheeva,” Kitana said as she stepped onto the stone behind her. Her tone remained composed, but the urgency of the situation was evident in every word. Skarlet followed at her side, her tanto and nodachi already drawn. “How do you intend to make Goro's supporters follow your commands?”

Sheeva did not look back. Her eyes moved across the warriors before her, studying the lines, weapons and, most importantly, the faces behind them. “With words,” she answered solemnly. She stopped beside one formation and adjusted the position of a spear with one of her upper hands before continuing forward. “They need to listen.”

Kitana narrowed her eyes. “Words might not be enough for what is coming.”

Sheeva glanced toward her solemnly. “Perhaps not.”

Kitana's gaze shifted toward the warriors wearing the colours of clans that had stood with Goro. “They may not want to listen to them, either.”

Sheeva's expression hardened. Sheeva understood the problem at hand clearly. For generations, combat had been woven into their culture, their traditions, and their understanding of honour. They could stare down death without flinching. But many of them were still unsure about the woman now giving their orders.

Sheeva reached the base of a stone platform overlooking the assembled warriors. “They will have to if they want to survive this night.” Sheeva climbed the steps. Her voice lowered for a moment as she added, “And if they will not follow willingly...” Her eyes hardened. “...then I will make them follow.”

She stepped onto the platform. From there, she could see almost every warrior gathered near the inner wall. The ram struck the gate again once again as the entire structure shuddered. Sheeva watched the soldiers carefully. None looked frightened. Even the youngest warriors held their weapons with confidence, eager for the chance to prove themselves in battle. But beneath that confidence, she saw what mattered. Concern, mistrust and uncertainty.

The warriors loyal to Ilur and the Ush-Tar stood particularly rigid. They had accepted neither her authority nor the circumstances that had placed her upon the throne. For them, Goro had represented strength. It was the prince who had challenged Fenrir directly. And yet Goro was dead, and Sheeva was still standing.

She took a deep breath. Then raised her voice. “Shokans!” The roar that answered her was immediate, though not universal. Sheeva waited until the sound diminished. “Reiko's loyalists have dared to strike our home tonight!” More voices rose this time. “They have violated the treaties that once protected us from one another. They have brought their war to our gates and spilt Shokan blood upon Kuatan!”

The warriors roared in ire. This time, even some of those who had remained silent joined in. “Tonight is no longer a night for division among ourselves!” Her voice carried throughout the cavern as she continued. “Tonight, we do not fight as separate clans. We fight as Shokans!” The response was louder. The warriors began striking weapons against shields. Almost muffling the deafening strikes of the ram. “Raise our banners together!” Sheeva shouted. “We defend our homes together! We will bleed for Kuatan together!”

“Join me!” she called. “Let us fight for Kuatan!” The warriors around Kintaro answered immediately.

Yet the Ush-Tar did not. Then one voice cut through the roar. “Why should we?” Silence slowly spread through the formations. Ilur stepped forward. The general's expression was stern, his eyes fixed upon Sheeva. The Ush-Tar warriors behind him remained still. “Why should we follow you, Sheeva?” he demanded. “It was not you who defeated Goro.”

Before Sheeva could answer, movement caught the attention of several warriors farther back. Fenrir and Jade had arrived.

The emperor ran beside his wife, both of them having come directly from the devastation inside Golvalin. Fenrir's clothing was still stained from the earlier battle, though his posture had changed completely. Whatever had been standing over Goro's corpse earlier was gone. His expression was controlled now. Focused and present in the situation at hand. Jade walked beside him. The two exchanged no words; there was still a distance between them that had not existed before.

Sheeva stepped down from the platform. Her boots struck the stone as she approached Ilur. The cavern shook as another impact struck the inner gate; neither warrior turned toward it. Sheeva stopped directly in front of Ilur. “Why should you?” A faint chuckle escaped her. “That is an excellent question, Ilur.” She leaned slightly toward him. “One I imagine you and the Ush-Tar have been asking yourselves since Goro fell.”

Ilur's jaw tightened. “Then ask yourselves another question.” Sheeva turned her head slightly. Her eyes swept over the assembled Ush-Tar. “What is stopping me, as your queen, from declaring you traitors?”

The Shokans around her moved with discipline. Kintaro's warriors stepped into place, followed by Sheeva's other supporters. Slowly, they formed a tightening circle around Ilur and the Ush-Tar. There was no easy route through it to escape.

Sheeva looked directly into Ilur's eyes. “You have been ordered to defend your homeland. Yet you stand here questioning the authority of the woman who now holds the throne.” Her voice became colder. “You claim loyalty to Kuatan.” She said, gesturing toward the battlefield beyond the gate. “Then prove it.”

Ilur looked around. The warriors surrounding him tightened their formation. Yet, he remained defiant. “You would not dare.”

Sheeva smiled; there was no humour in it. “Test me.” Ilur stared at her, yet she didn’t back down. “What will it be, Ilur?” For a long moment, the general said nothing… Then he laughed. It began quietly. A low chuckle that gradually became louder until it echoed throughout the cavern. Several warriors looked at one another in confusion.

Sheeva did not move. When Ilur finally stopped laughing, he looked at her differently. Not as her rival. But as his Queen. He placed his fist against the centre of his chest and hit it twice. The strikes echoed through the chamber. Then, the Ush-Tar immediately copied the gesture. Their fists struck their chests in unison, following their count and general lead.

Sheeva's expression softened. Then, Ilur lowered his arm. “That is all I needed to see.” His eyes remained fixed upon Sheeva. There was satisfaction in them now. She had finally shown him what he had wanted. The fangs beneath the intellect.

Sheeva nodded with authority as Ilur extended one arm to her. Sheeva met it. Their arms locked in a powerful handshake. The surrounding warriors erupted into cheers. The sound rolled through the cavern like thunder.

Jade and Kitana exchanged a glance, sharing Sheeva's satisfaction.

Fenrir looked between the two Shokans, visibly confused. “I don't understand,” he admitted. “What just happened?”

Skarlet stepped closer to him. Her expression remained composed. “It is a sacred Shokan sign of loyalty.” Fenrir looked toward her. She continued, “They have pledged their lives to her.”

Fenrir raised an eyebrow. “Just like that?”

Skarlet's lips curved faintly. “For a Shokan, such a gesture is not given lightly.” She turned her gaze toward Ilur and the Ush-Tar. “They have accepted her as their queen.”

Fenrir nodded slowly. He looked back toward Sheeva. The transformation was unmistakable. Only moments earlier, she had been the woman standing beside him at a council deciding the fate of the Shokan throne. Now, she was directing the warriors who would defend it.

Sheeva returned to the platform. “Shokans!” The answer of her people shook the cavern as another impact struck the gate. This time, a crack appeared across its centre.

Fenrir's expression changed. He raised his voice toward the fifty Imperial soldiers assembled behind him. “Quickly! Form a line with the Shokans!” The Imperial warriors moved immediately. Their discipline contrasted with the raw physical presence of the Shokan formations as they took their places alongside the warriors who had been their political enemies only minutes earlier.

Skarlet moved among them, weapons in hand. Kitana and Jade prepared themselves as well. For a moment, Jade looked toward Fenrir. Then Kitana did the same. Fenrir looked back at them in reply. Yet, there was no smile or words. Only a solemn exchange of understanding. They had seen him command armies before. This was the Fenrir they knew. The man who had once stood at the head of countless battles and somehow managed to make impossible decisions in the middle of chaos. The emperor. Jade's expression remained restrained. Whatever had changed between them, she still recognised this part of him.

Fenrir stepped toward the front line. Arondite held it in hand. The blade's familiar black-and-blue flames flickered around its edge.

The ram struck the gate once again. This time, the first seal cracked.

Sheeva raised her shield and braced herself. “The time has come!” She called. The ram struck again, shattering the second seal. The loyalists shouted from the other side, riling themselves up for combat. Sheeva raised her voice above them. “Fight, my brothers and sisters!”

Fenrir walked to the front alongside his queens. His gaze remained fixed upon the gate. Then he looked toward the Imperial soldiers. “Have no mercy tonight.” He said with authority. “Because they will have none for you.”

Sheeva lifted her weapon. “For Kuatan!” The Shokans roared in reply. “For the Shokan!”

The final ram crashed into the gate. The remaining seals exploded apart, bursting the great doors inward.

“FOR OUTWORLD!”

The cry erupted from Shokan and Outworlder alike. The unified force surged forward. The first rank of Shokans crashed into the loyalists with overwhelming physical force. Shields smashed into bodies. Spears punched through armour. Imperial and Shokan soldiers alike fired volleys through the gaps between the massive warriors, covering their advance.

The loyalist formations that had expected a divided enemy found themselves facing something entirely different. A coordinated wall of steel, muscle and bravery. The first wave broke almost immediately. Shokan warriors surged through the gaps, tearing apart enemy formations before they could reform. Imperial soldiers followed behind them, eliminating those who attempted to regroup. The loyalists began to be pushed back as their formation slowly but surely began to shatter. Reiko's careful calculations collapsed with it.

The battlefield quickly became chaos as the Shokans drove the invaders backwards toward the lower districts. Fenrir had anticipated the possibility that some loyalists might bypass the main engagement and attempt to infiltrate Golvalin.

So, he turned toward his most trusted ally. Syzoth. “Take a group and hold the inner gate.”

Syzoth nodded immediately. “Understood.” The Zaterran selected a smaller group of Shokan warriors, led by Sheeva, and disappeared into the confusion, taking up defensive positions around the routes leading toward the palace, making sure the civilians would remain protected.

The main force continued to move forward. Sheeva moved through the battle with terrifying efficiency. Her shield smashed into one loyalist's jaw, sending him crashing backwards, while one of her lower hands struck another across the throat.

She turned immediately. “Ilur!” The general turned toward her. He had just sent four loyalist soldiers into the air with both of his massive hammers. “Get your men to the common grounds!” Sheeva commanded. “Then push toward the southern gate!” She pointed toward the distant district. “The soldiers trapped in the barracks are still holding out. We need that position back before Reiko can reinforce it!”

Ilur grinned in reply. “Ush-Tar!” The warriors surrounding him answered with a roar. “With me!” He raised one hammer. “Let us show these puny invaders what Shokan might truly be!” The Ush-Tar responded with a thunderous, ritualistic war cry before surging deeper into the battle.

Elsewhere, Fenrir and his companions tore through the loyalist lines. Fenrir moved with precision rather than the wild brutality that had consumed him inside Golvalin. Arondite cut through armour and flesh while the hellfire rounds from his revolver struck enemies attempting to flank his formation. His companions were no less deadly.

Kitana and Jade moved together almost instinctively. Years of fighting at one another's side had forged an understanding that needed almost no communication. Kitana opened a path with a sweeping strike from her fans, cutting through one soldier before redirecting the second fan toward another attacker.

By the time the fan cut through an enemy, Jade was already there. Her staff smashed into the enemy's ribs before he could react, sending him flying sideways. Kitana's fan caught him in the neck. With a snap of her wrist, the bladed weapon returned to her hand.

If a loyalist charged Jade from behind. Then Kitana would see him. Kitana used her fans to produce a surge of wind to help her fellow queen. Jade disappeared with it and emerged several feet above the soldier, driving both feet into his back before landing behind another group. Their movements were fluid and effortless. Almost choreographed. Neither needed to call the other's name. They simply knew where the other would be.

Despite their coordination, Jade fought with a different rhythm. Her Edenian bo-staff allowed her to control space around her, sweeping across several enemies at once before she slammed its end against the ground. Energy surged through the stone, throwing several loyalists off their feet. Her bladed boomerang followed afterwards. It struck one soldier in the shoulder before curving through another and returning to her hand. Purple and green energy surrounded her limbs as she fought, empowering her strikes and allowing her to withstand attacks that would have staggered another warrior.

Yet her expression remained different from the woman Fenrir had fought beside in happier days. Jade was focused, controlled…balanced. There was no playful exchange, teasing remark or affectionate glance between her and Fenrir as it once did in combat. She simply fought with conviction; she couldn’t bring herself to look at him after what happened between them.

Skarlet was equally devastating. Where Kitana and Jade fought with grace, Skarlet fought If Jade and Kitana fought with grace, Skarlet fought with deadly precision. The bloodmancer used every tool and spell at her disposal to destroy the enemy lines. She moved swiftly like the wind, cutting and slashing with her kunai and nodachi, carving deep lines across the loyalists' weakest points, drawing their blood to her and empowering her even more. And once that blood fell on her skin, a true nightmare began for any loyalist daring to cross her path. Skarlet called upon her blood magic to create multiple powerful blood weapons, such as a scythe, daggers, lances, blood tendrils and whips, to destroy them with ease. Even more so once Fenrir coordinated his attacks with hers.

“Kintaro!” Sheeva called to the Tigrar-shokan while he grabbed and split in half a loyalist soldier that chose his opponent poorly. The Tigrar turned towards his queen. “Rally them up!” She roared to him while she decapitated one of her enemies with her left upper arm. “We must push them out of the Westgate!”

Then, the Shokan queen turned towards Fenrir. “Fenrir!”

“Say no more.” He answered as Skarlet rolled on his back and cut three loyalists in half with a single swing of her blood scythe. “Imperium!” The emperor called to his soldiers. “Support the Shokans!” The Imperium guards cheered in reply and joined the Shokan warriors that began to rush down the city towards the gates, pushing the remaining loyalists back to the lower city.

Once the dust settled, Sheeva approached Fenrir, who stood next to the queens and Skarlet. The five of them were already covered in bruises, dust, small cuts and blood from their enemies. “Fen, I must go and help Ilur recover the southern gate. The loyalist artillery cannot be ignored any further.” Sheeva spoke while she cleaned the blood and pieces of flesh from her shield.

“Go,” Kitana answered solemnly. “We will make sure the marketplace is recovered and the west gate secure.”

Jade nodded at her fellow queen’s answer. She smirked towards Sheeva. “Just make sure we don’t get any unexpected artillery fire sent our way.”

Sheeva grinned at her friend. Then she looked at Fenrir. Sheeva studied his posture and expression. He looked different from how he had looked earlier in the arena. It puzzled her how…normal he looked now. He looked in control, though conflicted. Nevertheless, it wasn’t her place to ask or judge. That was a discussion for the queens to have. Perhaps one day, in confidence, she would get the whole picture of this still most mysterious emperor who had earned her loyalty through deeds and words.

Fenrir matched her gaze, holding it for as long as possible. Then, he nodded with conviction. Confirming to her, in that very moment, that he was still himself. That was all the Shokan needed. She nodded respectfully and bowed her head slightly towards her emperor and queens. With that solemn bow pronounced, she headed south of the city. Her sole mission was to recover her homeland and avenge those daring to attack it.

Fenrir’s men, led by the emperor, and the Shokan warriors, now united under Kintaro’s command, pushed deeper into the lower city. Their first objective was the marketplace. What had once been one of Kuatan's busiest areas had become almost unrecognisable. Stalls had been overturned and reduced to splinters; chunks of stone covered the streets. The glow of the lava beneath the city illuminated the battlefield in flickering shades of crimson while fires spread across abandoned structures.

The loyalists had turned the marketplace into a defensive position. They barricaded the streets with overturned wagons and stationed warriors across the larger avenues to slow the Shokan advance. Reiko himself was nowhere to be seen, but Fenrir knew better than to believe that meant the general had abandoned the battlefield. He was somewhere in the city waiting for an opportunity.

Fenrir kept that thought in the back of his mind as he led the Imperium forward. The fighting was relentless. Every street became another struggle, and each advance was answered with another attempt at counterattack. The Shokans tore through the barricades with overwhelming force while the Imperium soldiers exploited every opening they created. Despite the hardship that the battle presented to the emperor and his men, they managed to push through each time.

But victory came at a price. The longer the battle continued, the more that price accumulated. An hour had passed since that first push in the upper city. Fifty Imperial soldiers had entered the city beside Fenrir…By now, only twenty remained. The number seemed impossible when he first counted them.

Then another soldier fell. Fenrir saw it as it happened. Another loyalist had slipped through the chaos and driven a blade into the soldier's side before one of Fenrir's men killed the attacker. The Imperial warrior collapsed against the stones, his sword falling from his hands. Fenrir wanted to stop, to check his condition. But another group of enemies was already approaching.

There was no time. He could only trust that the others would carry him away. That was the cruelty of war. People died faster than anyone had time to mourn them. Yet he remembered every face and every soldier who had entered Kuatan believing they would return alongside him. They had chosen to follow him. To fight in a realm that was not their home, against forces that vastly outnumbered them, because they believed in their Emperor. They believed in his vision.

Fenrir carried the knowledge that every order he gave could send another one to his death. He hated that part of leadership. But he had learned that he had to make the decisions no one would…even if it meant guilt and suffering for him. So, he pushed forward with conviction.

The Shokans suffered heavily as well. Sometimes, arrows would rain from elevated positions, piercing their heavy armour; blades would find their flesh, and every so often, the earth itself seemed to explode beneath them as Reiko's remaining artillery fired from somewhere deeper in the city. The warriors were forced to scatter whenever those thunderous blasts came.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, the artillery would cease. The surviving warriors would regroup. And the advance would continue. The Shokans refused to yield. Their physical strength had always made them terrifying opponents, but now they had something more than strength. They were organised. The clans that had once been divided were now functioning as a single army. That unity was proving to be the greatest weapon Kuatan possessed.

Eventually, the loyalists began falling back toward the Westgate.

Fenrir noticed the change immediately. Their resistance was becoming disorganised; their formations deteriorated with it. The pressure they were applying was working.

Fenrir tightened his grip around Arondite. “Keep moving!” he ordered. The Imperium responded to his command and the Shokans followed.

Then Jade's voice cut through the chaos. “Kitana, Fen! Look!” Jade pointed toward the distance. Through the smoke, a banner had risen above one of the distant structures. The banner carried the Shokan symbol. It fluttered proudly above the barracks. For a moment, Fenrir simply stared.

Then the tension in his shoulders eased. A grin spread across his bloodstained face. “Bloody hell.” He wiped some of the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. “They made it.”

Sheeva and Ilur had succeeded in their mission; the barracks had been reclaimed. For the first time in hours, the battlefield gave Fenrir a reason to breathe. Jade allowed herself a small smile. Yet Kitana did not.

Kitana’s eyes had already moved elsewhere. Across the battlefield. Through the smoke and between the clashes of warriors. There the robed figure stood fighting against the shokans in a deadly dance.

The robed figure slashed and cut through them with efficient and brutal ease. Even worse was how she did it…A sight which was familiar to Kitana, as it was haunting. It wasn’t the first time she had recognised familiar patterns and movement in the figure. Throughout the day, Kitana had been watched by it; even when all eyes were placed on Shang Tsung and Fenrir, the figure watched her with ire and disdain. Envy, even.

Kitana's breath caught in that moment. It wasn't simply the efficiency. Instead, the most concrete proof of her suspicion was shown directly to her through combat. Even worse, it seemed as if the figure wanted her to see it. For Kitana to finally discover the truth behind her identity.

The slight twist of the body. The way the shoulders shifted before striking…The way the figure repositioned herself after every attack. Kitana had seen it all before. Thousands of times. She had fought beside someone who moved like that. She had even loved someone who fought like that.

The figure spun. Two blades flew through the air. They disappeared beneath the folds of the robe for a fraction of a second before reappearing in her hands. Kitana stared. The blades were sais. Her eyes widened; she knew them. Not merely because of their shape, but because she remembered placing them into the hands of someone she loved on her twenty-first birthday.

Kitana could remember Mileena's smile of that day. Her excitement and the embrace that had followed. A memory from a life that seemed impossibly distant. Kitana's heart stopped. “…Mileena?” She whispered with sorrow. The figure turned. For the briefest moment, the hood shifted. Kitana could not see the face beneath it. Yet, she didn't need to. The weapons had told her what she had been afraid to believe. Mileena was alive, and she was here in front of her eyes.

Kitana stood frozen amid the battle. The world around her seemed to slow. The screams became distant. Then the figure stopped as well. The two women stared at one another from across the battlefield. There was no mistaking the tension between them.

Mileena slowly lifted one of the sais. She pointed it toward Kitana. Then made a small gesture for her to come. Kitana's heart pounded as the figure turned and ran. Kitana followed without a second thought.

“Kitana!” Jade shouted. Kitana didn't stop at her friend’s call. Fenrir's eyes followed her for a moment. Whatever had happened, it had clearly affected her. He glanced toward Skarlet. He didn't need to speak for his command to reach him.

She understood immediately. “On it.” Skarlet rushed after Kitana. The battle swallowed all three women almost at once.

Kitana raced through the ruined streets, cutting down loyalists who attempted to block her path. She moved from street to street, following the trail the hooded figure had deliberately left behind. Yet her mind was somewhere else. “Mileena…” The name repeated itself in her thoughts. She had spent months wondering where her sister had gone. Months imagining every possible fate that had fallen upon Mileena due to her choice that fateful night.

For a time, she had feared Mileena was dead. Then, she feared that perhaps Shang Tsung had found her. Now that fear had become a reality. Kitana's chest tightened on that haunting thought. The sorcerer was the one person Kitana had hoped would never reach her.

She could only imagine what the sorcerer had told her. What lies he had whispered into her ear. What hatred he had nurtured. What envy he had fed or created. Kitana knew Mileena carried wounds deeper than almost anyone understood. And, certainly, she knew who had helped create many of them…Herself.

Kitana had cast Mileena out. She was the one who had walked away from her. Even convinced herself that the distance would prevent further suffering…Prevent herself from even hating more what she represented. What she was created for. Instead, it had left her vulnerable. It had shattered the bond they had.

Kitana gritted her teeth as she continued running. “I did this.” The thought hurt and broke her. Forcing a sorrowful tear out of her eye. But another followed. “I can still fix it.” Perhaps not completely. But maybe she could reach her…Maybe she could finally tell Mileena what she had been unable to say when it mattered most. Apologise to her.

Kitana slowed for the briefest moment. Another thought struck her with an unexpected force. “What am I going to say when I see her?” Then, a surge of questions followed up that haunting thought:

Would Mileena attack her? Would she refuse to listen? Would she even recognise the sister she had once known? Kitana had spent so long searching for Mileena that she had never allowed herself to consider what would happen after she found her.

That hesitation lasted only a moment for the figure appeared once again. Yet, Kitana barely had time to react. The hooded woman lunged at her. Kitana raised her arm to stop her, but it was too late. The two collided, and their bodies struck the ground.

Kitana felt the figure's arms close around her. Then pink energy erupted around them. Kitana's eyes widened. “Wait—!” The battlefield disappeared in the blink of an eye as the two women vanished in a burst of pink light.

Skarlet arrived seconds too late as she saw the scene play out. The last traces of the teleportation dissipated before her eyes.

Her expression changed as the realisation hit her of what she had just witnessed. “No...” She stared at the empty street. A tremor of disbelief passed through her. “Impossible.” That magic. That particular colour that emanated from it... She knew it. And if her suspicion was correct, then Kitana had just followed the most dangerous person she could have possibly chased alone.

Elsewhere, the battle at the Westgate was reaching its climax. Fenrir, Jade, and the Shokans led by Kintaro pushed the loyalists farther and farther back until the remaining enemy forces had gathered around the shattered entrance of Kuatan. The great outer gate that had marked the beginning of Reiko's invasion was now the place where his forces were making their final stand.

By now, only ten Imperial soldiers remained. The rest had fallen across the city. Fenrir looked briefly toward them as he slashed through lines of enemies. Some of them carried deep wounds…some could barely stand. But even in the end, they remained. They were willing to die beside him if necessary. The thought still weighed heavily on him.

Bodies lay across the battlefield. Some belonged to warriors Fenrir had never known. Others belonged to warriors who had fought beside them only hours earlier. The banners of the different clans had been torn and stained while weapons lay broken throughout the streets.

Victory had never looked clean. Yet the sacrifices had achieved something. The Shokans were still standing. And more importantly, they were standing together with victory near at hand.

The loyalist forces had been reduced dramatically. Their formations had collapsed. They could no longer maintain their artillery. For every Shokan warrior lost, roughly five loyalists had fallen. The combined formations, the strength of the Tigrar, the discipline of the Imperium, and the leadership of Fenrir and the newly crowned Sheeva had created something Reiko had not properly accounted for. The division he had relied upon no longer existed. And that single variable had turned his carefully constructed invasion into a battle for survival.

Still, Fenrir knew better than to celebrate early. Reiko's men had been pushed to the edge. But an army at the edge could still become dangerous if given time to regroup. Reiko needed only a few minutes to reorganise his remaining warriors, perhaps even less.

Fenrir understood the general's mind too well by now to allow it. “Keep pushing,” he ordered.

Kintaro looked toward him. The Tigrar understood immediately. They were exhausted; everyone was. One more reckless advance could expose them.

Jade seemed to understand the same thing. Her eyes met Fenrir's. She didn’t approve of the reckless advance. But she trusted him. Because she knew what he was thinking, despite his recklessness. This was the moment when Reiko was most vulnerable, and Fenrir had spent too many years fighting the man to mistake desperation for defeat.

Their rivalry had been forged across countless battles. They had beaten and outmanoeuvred one another countless times before. Reiko knew how Fenrir thought, and Fenrir knew how Reiko thought. But Fenrir had always possessed one advantage his rival had struggled to account for. His creativity and improvisation in the heat of battle.

Fenrir could abandon a plan without hesitation when the battlefield changed, turn a mistake into an opportunity. That adaptability had won him battles he had no right to win. It was he, after all, who had discovered Ermac’s potential and how to maximise it. And Reiko knew it perhaps better than anyone. That was why Fenrir remained dangerous even after exhaustion had settled into his bones. He would not give Reiko time to breathe, not tonight.

The Shokan warriors surged forward. The loyalists resisted as long as they could. The battle became a grinding collision of exhausted soldiers. It was then Fenrir saw him. At first it was only movement. Then the familiar armour, the unmistakable posture, accompanied by a massive war hammer. Reiko stood proud and brutal as he led his men in battle.

For hours, Fenrir had searched through the battlefield for him. Now the general was finally there. But he wasn’t facing him; instead, he faced Kintaro alone. The two warriors were locked in single combat. Kintaro roared as he swung his claws in a brutal arc.

Reiko ducked beneath the attack. The war hammer in his hands moved with surprising speed. Kintaro blocked the attack. The impact sent strange green energy into the air. Different from the usual light bluish-grey it used to carry. Yet, it made the Tigrar flinch from its sheer power.

The Tigrar struck again. Yet, Reiko parried skilfully. The two collided with enough force to shake the ground beneath them. Kintaro was powerful. Among the greatest warriors Kuatan had. But Reiko had earned his reputation for a reason. He wasn’t just a strategist. He was a warrior capable of standing toe-to-toe with the strongest fighters in Outworld. And tonight, he seemed a step above most of them.

Kintaro brought one claw down. Reiko quickly stepped aside. Caught Kintaro's momentum and drove his own weapon into the Shokan's chest. The impact echoed. Kintaro's feet left the ground as his enormous body was hurled backwards across the battlefield.

Jade reacted immediately. “Shit!” She rushed to him with speed. Kintaro struck the stone and rolled before coming to a stop. Jade crouched beside him. “Fen, help me out!” She placed one hand beneath his shoulder and helped him sit upright.

Kintaro groaned while Jade checked him quickly. He was alive, barely. Reiko’s strike seemed to carry more than enough power to dismember any opponent. If it wasn’t for his Shokan physique, he would certainly be dead by now. She looked upward. “Fen?”

There was no answer from his end. She followed his gaze. Fenrir stood perfectly still. His entire focus had shifted. Across the battlefield stood the man he had been waiting for. The cause of all this suffering.

The general was breathing heavily. Blood covered parts of his armour. His soldiers were scattered around him. His army had been pushed to the brink. And yet, Reiko smiled. A wicked, almost amused grin spread across his face.

Fenrir narrowed his eyes. Neither man spoke. For a moment, the battlefield seemed to disappear. All of it became distant. There were only two men standing across from one another.

Reiko slowly rested his war hammer against his shoulder and began walking forward. His grin widened. “Well then...” His voice carried through the smoke. “Look what the cat just dragged in.”

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